


Spread Your Wings and Fly

by Shi_Toyu



Series: Here There Be Dragons [9]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: BAMF Tony Stark, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Has Issues, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Canon-Typical Violence, Daemons, Dragons, Gen, Gift Fic, Giveaway fic, Hurt Tony Stark, Hydra (Marvel), Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Not Canon Compliant, POV Bucky Barnes, Pre-HYDRA Reveal, Sort Of, Soul Bond, Soulmates, Tony Stark Does What He Wants, Tony Stark Has Issues, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-25
Updated: 2019-04-25
Packaged: 2020-01-31 15:04:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18593719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shi_Toyu/pseuds/Shi_Toyu
Summary: Winter and the Soldier have been assigned a new target... a very dangerous one.





	Spread Your Wings and Fly

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ParanormalMoonlight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ParanormalMoonlight/gifts).



> For the absolutely wonderful ParanormalMoonlight, who won my most recent follower milestone fic giveaway over on [ Tumblr! ](https://shi-toyu.tumblr.com/) I hope you enjoy, hun!

The Soldier knew well the dangers of keeping an eye out for his target’s partners. It was a recipe for disaster to forget that every person had a soul divided into two bodies and that their other half could sometimes be very dangerous. His own partner, Winter, glided silently through the air far above him, getting an areal view of the grounds before swooping back down to join him. Grey scales tinged with blue made it so that Winter perfectly blended into the sky above. He had to be far more careful against an Earthly backdrop as he came in for a landing. They’d been doing this for years, though, and the Soldier was confident no one spotted them as Winter settled onto his shoulders, claws digging into the leather of the Soldier’s armor to find purchase while his wings folded in close to his body.

About the size of a medium dog, Winter was large enough that most humans wouldn’t have been able to carry him. Even with the Soldier’s enhancements, the dragon’s bulk weighed heavily on him. He liked having Winter so close, though, especially after having to stretch their bond for a flight. There was something comforting about it, if comfort was a thing the Soldier could have.

_All clear._

Winter’s hissed voice inside the Soldier’s head was also a comfort, as was his message. The target they’d been assigned for this mission was purported to have a savage partner, one that had caused a large amount of damage when defending the target before. The element of surprise would be critical to the success of their mission. The Soldier set off, rifle in hand. The grounds of the target’s property were clear, affording no cover whatsoever. The only distinguishing factor was the large house that jutted out from the top of the cliff, overlooking the Malibu waves.

They reached the home without incident and Winter scurried off the Soldier’s shoulders to scale the wall, claws digging grooves into the plaster as he found purchase. The Soldier himself took a running jump and leapt back and forth between two walls where they met for a corner until he was able to reach the edge of the roof with his metal arm and pull himself up.

 _The ventilation access is this way,_ Winter hissed across their bond, serpentine body undulating as he led the way over the roof and to the access hatch.

It would be a tight fit, especially with the Soldier’s broad shoulders, but it was a way in. The Soldier would make it work. He pried the metal grating off and slid inside, Winter following after him. They were silent as they wiggled their way deeper into the house. The Soldier didn’t know why Hydra wanted this particular target dead, but he knew they had been deemed a considerable threat to Hydra. That meant they would be a considerable threat to Winter and himself as well. He felt tense as the seconds ticked by, on edge and warry of attack.

The room he finally lowered himself into, combat boots near-silent as they hit the tile and Winter dropping down onto his shoulders once more, was clearly the kitchen. It was immaculately clean aside from two bowls that sat in the sink. The Soldier cocked his head to the side as he listened for any signs of life from elsewhere in the house, but he heard nothing. He crept toward the entry to the kitchen, rifle at the ready, and prepared to sweep the building.

The target was definitely at home, according to the Soldier’s handlers. Unless they had a secret entrance somewhere, they had to still be here. They couldn’t have snuck past Winter and the Soldier any other way. It was just a matter of finding them.

Room after room of the house was empty and it set the Soldier on edge. He could feel Winter’s discomfort in the back of his mind, too, like an itch at the base of his skull. They cleared the main floor and the upper level with the bedrooms quickly, the Soldier taking note that many of the spaces seemed largely unused, for all that they were free of dust. Something about this mission just wasn’t right. It didn’t sit well with him at all. They would get it done, though. They always did. To fail was to be punished and the Soldier wouldn’t put Winter through that again.

The stairwell heading down curved as it went, obscuring the view, and Winter was too heavy to hang upside-down from the ceiling and get closer for a better look. Gritting his teeth, the Soldier forged ahead. Being damaged on a mission and succeeding was still preferable to failing and being punished for it.

There was a wall of glass at the bottom on the stairs, blocking off a larger area that seemed half-workshop and half-garage. The Soldier recognized some of the equipment from when his arm required maintenance, but he could only guess at the functions of much of what was in the room. That was fine. He didn’t need to know. A man sat at the desk-come-worktable, back facing the glass as he manipulated an array of blue holograms in front of him. His hair was a mess and the tank top and jeans he wore were a far cry from the suit he’d been wearing in the photo the Soldier was given, but there was no mistaking the man as anyone but their target. The Soldier’s hands tightened on his rifle.

Where was his partner, then?

Cautiously, he eased forward, gun at the ready. Winter used a wing to push the glass door open for them to enter the room. It glided silently on its hinges, but that only heightened the Soldier’s unease. This wasn’t right. This wasn’t right at all. There was something definitely wrong here. It couldn’t be this easy.

“I was wondering when you’d finally make your way down here,” the target spoke, turning to look at them with an easy grin and not even bothering to stand.

There was a glowing circle of light in his chest, a dark amber color that flickered like flames licking out from the very core of his body. The Soldier’s gaze was drawn down to it for a moment before he forced it back up to his target’s face. That hadn’t been in his mission briefing. Was it some sort of weapon? Maybe a defense mechanism?

Winter slid from his shoulders and hissed as he hit the ground. The dragon crouched low, ready to launch himself forward and strike at a moment’s notice.

“You knew we were here,” the Soldier stated, though he didn’t know _why._

He wasn’t supposed to engage the target. That wasn’t part of the mission. There was no reason he couldn’t have already shot the man and been done with it. Something had his hackles up, though. He needed more information. If he attacked blindly, he had a feeling it wouldn’t end well.

“Since you set foot on my property,” the man agreed readily, sweeping an almost-bored gaze over Winter and the Soldier. “You’re not my usual type of houseguest, though. I’ll admit I was curious. Mythical creatures for soul-partners aren’t exactly common. You’re, what? A hitman? Mercenary? Who sent you?”

The Soldier remained silent. It unsettled him, how little fear the man displayed. He was far too relaxed for having a rifle pointed at his face. His partner still hadn’t appeared, either, and the Soldier didn’t like it. Humans _couldn’t_ be far from their partners. They weren’t meant to be separated, not ever. Even when Winter went up to fly, it left both him and the Soldier feeling oddly overstretched and antsy.

“Alright, alright,” the man continued when it became obvious the Soldier had no intention of answering. “Client-Hitman confidentiality. I can respect the professionalism. I’ll find out eventually, anyway. At least tell me how much you’re getting paid for this little venture? I’m not going to offer to double it, or anything. I just like to keep up with my current value on the market.”

The Soldier didn’t understand. He’d never had a target react to his presence like this. Of course, he never stopped to have conversations with his targets, either, not unless he and Winter had been given a specific message to deliver before their demise. In many cases, they didn’t even get close enough to interact. He could feel Winter’s curiosity in the back of his mind, too.

“We’re not getting paid.”

The man made an understanding noise, nodding with an almost solemn expression.

“Doing it for charity, then. There just aren’t enough truly generous people in the world anymore.” He heaved a sigh and then sharpened, his entire demeanor changing. “It’s too bad you chose the wrong cause, though.”

All of a sudden, the Soldier was hit by an almost overwhelming sense of _danger_. He was no longer the predator, stalking in to claim a life. He was the prey now, backed into a corner of his own making. He had to fight against the urge to flee. Winter hissed, wings flaring to make himself look larger.

“You made a mistake in coming here,” the man spoke darkly. “On my home turf? Most of the people who come after me aren’t that stupid, and the ones that are at least carry heavier artillery. You sure the people you’re working for aren’t just trying to get rid of you?”

It didn’t matter if they were. The Soldier had a job to do. Even if the Soldier and Winter could get away at this point, they’d still have to face punishment. It would be better to stay and run whatever risks that came with it.

The man moved to stand and the Soldier reacted on instinct, raising his rifle from where the barrel had started to drift down just the tiniest bit and firing.

The bullets slammed into the man’s unarmored body, sending his chair skittering away as he was knocked to the ground. Not at all convinced it would be over so easily, the Soldier stalked forward to finish the job while Winter played lookout for the man’s partner. They were both thrown back by the burst of flames that exploded across the room. The Solider hit the glass wall and fell hard on his side, his rifle knocked out of his grasp. He heard Winter cry out in pain and reacted instinctively, scrambling to his knees and in front of the dragon, shielding him from further attack.

Across the room, their target had climbed back onto his feet, only now he looked _very_ different. Flames bled out from the circle in his chest, wrapping around his torso and spreading behind him like massive wings. His eyes, too, burned with the fire no longer contained within.

“I’m going to ask you this one more time, to give you the chance to save yourself,” their target said, though his voice was mirrored by a second, higher undercurrent. “Who sent you?”


End file.
